West Seattle, Washington
12 Friday
If you missed it at the Admiral Theater two months ago – or if you want to see it again – here’s your next chance to see the education-system documentary “Race to Nowhere“: The Arbor Heights Elementary PTSA is sponsoring a screening one week from tonight at the Chief Sealth International High School auditorium Little Theater. AHPTSA is inviting the entire community to come watch the film and discuss the issues it raises. Ticket details are here and organizers are offering a $5 faculty/student ticket with valid ID. AHPTSA coordinator Elise Olson explains, “The film is 85 minutes and we’ll be having a post-film discussion: How can we best prepare our youth to become healthy, bright, and contributing citizens? How do we define achievement? How can we make choices that support the healthy development of young people? How can we end the race to nowhere? We are hoping to get as many West Seattle families, students and educators there as possible to join in this important community discussion.” 6 pm Wednesday, May 25th, 2600 SW Thistle.
(4/30/11 photo by Katie Meyer from the Admiral Way Viewpoint drug-takeback dropoff)
The drug-takeback events on April 30th netted 256 pounds of prescription drugs in West Seattle alone, according to the local DEA office. But if you doubt that matters – check out the toplines from last night’s presentation to the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council. While drug-abuse expert Steve Freng talked about all categories of drug abuse, over and over again, he reiterated that it’s legal drugs, not illegal drugs, causing the most problems these days.
Freng is with the team focused on the Northwest HIDTA – high-intensity drug-trafficking area. He also spoke to the WSCPC at the Southwest Precinct two and a half years ago (here’s our report from that meeting), at which time he warned that prescription-drug abuse was on the upswing. His information is not West Seattle-specific, but it’s regional and likely a good indicator of what’s happening here:Read More
We’re not putting these under the Crime Watch label because there’s no proof either person was a criminal or intending to commit a crime. But the two people who sent these reports felt concerned enough to want to share them – a man who approached a child in Lincoln Park last night, and a man who turned up in a stranger’s back yard – read on:Read More
You have probably passed its huge North Delridge facility myriad times, but unless you work at Nucor, chances are you’ve never been inside. Want a firsthand look? Here’s a chance to go behind the scenes while contributing to a cause:
For the past 3 years Nucor Seattle has participated in the West Seattle Relay for Life, raising funds for cancer research in the quest to find a cure. Last year Nucor donated $7,500 to this worthwhile cause and is currently fundraising with hopes of beating that donation.
Team Nucor would like to host a “Tour for the Cure” event on Saturday, June 4th. Nucor employees will be available to take up to 50 people on a tour of the Seattle Steel Plant in return for a suggested monetary donation of $10 (although we will happily accept larger donations). All donations received will be matched by Nucor in hopes of meeting our overall fundraising goal of $10,000. We will have 3 tours – 10 am, 10:30 am, and 1 pm.
If you are interested in participating, please contact Tricia Sweat at 206-933-2316 or tricia.sweat@nucor.com. Again, the tour is limited to the first 50 responses and will be available on a first contact, first signed up basis. Please keep in mind you must be at least 18 years of age, be capable of climbing stairs, and wear long pants and closed-toe shoes with socks.
The Relay for Life-West Seattle event is taking place on June 10th – 11th at the West Seattle Stadium. Please see its website for more information.
(WSB has joined the R4LWS sponsor lineup this year for the first time. If you would like to participate in the overnight relay itself, it’s not too late – find out more here.)
(WSB file photo of Hiawatha’s wading pool)
One brilliantly sunny day like today, and it’s hard not to think ahead to the heart of summer. We just checked the Seattle Parks wading-pools page to see if this year’s pool schedule is out – and yes, it is. The pools don’t open for another month, but in case you’re outlining summer plans, here’s the schedule (PDF). It looks a lot like last year – Lincoln Park remains the only West Seattle wading pool that will be open 7 days a week; Delridge will be open Thursdays-Fridays-Saturdays, EC Hughes will be open Wednesdays-Thursdays-Fridays, and Hiawatha will be open Mondays-Tuesdays-Wednesdays. Highland Park remains closed, with spray-park construction planned for next year (the community meeting for that project is coming up one week from tonight). As for West Seattle’s other city-run outdoor swimming facility: Colman Pool opens May 28th (for the first of 3 pre-season weekends), and its schedule is available now too.
It’s not happening in West Seattle, but lots of West Seattleites are involved – and organizers are hoping for more. We’ve heard from Heather and Jo, West Seattle volunteers, about the upcoming Girls on the Run of Puget Sound 5K this Saturday at Seward Park. GOTR is a coaching program for girls and has 5K’s twice a year as a “graduation” of sorts. It’s not just for program participants – Heather explains that it’s a fun run for everyone, keyword, FUN! “You can run or walk with leashed dogs, kids, strollers. It’s non-competitive, and it’s not timed – just a great way to spend a Saturday in the beautiful outdoors supporting a program that makes a difference in the lives of girls. If you have kids, it’s a great way to expose them to healthy living and positive reinforcement. PLEASE come and support this amazing organization! I hope you’ll consider running, jogging, and/or walking with us at Seward Park on May 21st. You can sign up here – girlsrun.org – you, your friends, your kids – anyone. The more the merrier, and it’s for a great cause. We also really encourage guys to come out too and support the girls. Dads, brothers – it’s not just for girls and moms. If running or walking a 5k isn’t in the cards for you, please consider participating as a volunteer. We need to recruit more than 80 volunteers to do everything from cheering along the route to photographing the event. Interested in learning more? Click the link.”
As reported this morning by our partners at the Seattle Times: The teenager who beat an Alki woman unconscious in Tukwila, while she was working as a Metro bus driver, is back in jail. Thirteen months ago, we were at Juvenile Court on Capitol Hill (story here) to cover the sentencing of the then-14-year-old boy, who wrote a letter of apology that described what he did as “touching,” and who was described by his mother as a “good kid” while she also attempted to blame the victim for not preventing what happened. We didn’t identify Solinuu Leae by name at that time, as he was charged as a juvenile; now 15, he has been arrested again, charged as an adult for a violent robbery that, like the attack on the driver from Alki, also rendered its victim – robbed while waiting for a bus in Renton – unconscious. According to the King County Jail Register, Leae’s bail is set at $200,000; he’s been jailed since May 10th. The bus driver he attacked in January of last year told WSB back in March that she was returning to work as a driver. Court documents in the new case against Leae say his sentence for attacking her was completed in January.
(Photo by Bill Bacon, who says it’s an anemone photographed during Tuesday’s low tide)
Besides today’s low tide – lowest of the month at 12:10 pm – here are other highlights from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
EARLY DISMISSAL: Seattle Public Schools classes end two hours early today (professional-development time).
DELRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL: 7 pm, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).
DIVERSITY DISCUSSION: Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon Street) presents the next “One World: Discussions on Diversity and Inclusion” facilitated-discussion session, looking at sexual orientation. 10:45-noon, all welcome.
CAMPAIGN KICKOFFS: West Seattleite Diana Toledo launches her King County Council campaign, 6:30-9 pm at Admiral Theater (2343 California SW), appetizers and refreshments, all ages welcome … West Seattleite Tom Rasmussen launches his Seattle City Council re-election campaign, 5:30-7 pm at the Swedish Cultural Center, 1920 Dexter Av. N.
THEATER: “Shipwrecked! An Entertainment …” begins its final week (through Saturday) at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), 7:30 pm … West Seattle High School Drama Club and Music Department present “Oklahoma!” at the WSHS Theater (3000 California Ave SW) at 7:30 pm.
When West Seattle’s most populous elementary school begins the 2011-2012 year, the projected 550+ students will have an upgraded playground. Tonight the Lafayette Elementary Playground Committee laid out the plan for how the project will unfold this summer: After the last day of school on June 22nd, fences will go up around the construction site on the playground. Then the first of two volunteer work parties is planned, June 25-26, to remove the existing playground bark (which will be saved for future use). Sometime after the 4th of July, a Seattle Public Schools crew will go in and tear out what’s there now, and prep the area for construction – the job hasn’t gone out to bid yet, so that part of the schedule isn’t finalized. Once that phase of the work is done, the “big toy” (above) that was chosen in a vote involving the entire school community (including the students) will be built on August 27-28.
The Playground Committee needs volunteer help for both those work parties – if you have a student at Lafayette, look for the brightly colored flyer with a form you can return to the project’s mail slot at the school office. Or, anyone and everyone interested in volunteering is welcome to e-mail Holly at rhgrambihler@msn.com.
A bicyclist on the ride of a lifetime made a stopover in West Seattle this week. Glen Boyd shares the story of playing host to Juan Tuñon Martinez – photographed Monday morning in Glen’s Admiral District backyard – who is from Spain and currently bicycling to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, on a journey that began at the southern tip of Argentina in November 2009. Glen says, “He has many stories, including being woken up at 3 AM on the beach during the Chilean earthquake just in time to run to higher ground before his bike and all his gear got swept out to sea.” Juan’s story can be followed on his website, panamerikana.org (if you don’t read Spanish, we recommend Google Translator), where he explains that he lost his job in 2009 and started planning this journey. So how did Juan wind up staying at Glen’s house? we asked. Glen says a friend of his met Juan at a Northern California campground last month and called to ask if they could host him during his Seattle stop: “Of course! was our reply, because we were treated with great generosity on our own international long-distance travel experiences and wanted to give back.” According to Glen, Juan is hoping to bike home via Asia after he makes it to Alaska, but is looking for a bicycle company or group to sponsor him. (P.S. For bicyclists wondering about his gear – we found this.)
First of two reports from tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting at the Southwest Precinct: The burglary “spike” reported last month by Capt. Steve Paulsen is over, according to operations Lt. Pierre Davis. He presented one specific statistic as evidence: The second full week in April, this area had 23 burglaries. Second full week in May, there were five. (We doublechecked the online police-reports map, which shows even fewer, if you configure it for 5/8-5/14.) Lt. Davis attributes the drop to more arrests: “We went out and corralled a bunch of our bad guys – we really knocked ’em dead.” But don’t let your guard down, he said (and while he didn’t mention them specifically, yesterday’s Arbor Heights incidents underscored that) – keep an eye out in your neighborhood, particularly as vacation season kicks in next month and more people are away, and when you see someone or something, get as much descriptive information as you can – car descriptions, suspect descriptions.
Speaking of keeping an eye out, Karen Berge from the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network announced at meeting’s end that their next meeting is next Tuesday, 6:30 pm, also at SW Precinct. Coming up later: Current drug-abuse trends, from tonight’s guest speaker, a regional expert who spoke to the group 2 1/2 years ago (WSB coverage here).
Tentative plans for a West Seattle Town Hall meeting with Mayor McGinn have come up at various community meetings – but just now, we heard the first announcement of a date: Steve Louie from the Department of Neighborhoods dropped by the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council to suggest you save the date, June 23, for a mayoral town hall at Hiawatha Community Center. More details to come.
From left, Fauntleroy Church pastor Rev. David Kratz, Kim Petram, and Phil Sweetland are among the Fauntleroy community supporters we found at Endolyne Joe’s in the early going of tonight’s dine-out fundraiser: Eat at Joe’s (as its famous sign exhorts) before midnight, and half the proceeds go to the Fauntleroy Fall Festival (set for October 16th this year). This is a major fundraiser for the festival, which has grown each year but is still free – and FFF organizers want to keep it that way. The pastor’s in shades and holding a mike because he’s emceeing tonight, by the way – and the basket? Part of a raffle (2 tickets for $5). Endolyne Joe’s is at 9261 45th SW, a few blocks southeast of the Fauntleroy ferry terminal.
On this day 2 of lane-reduced Highway 99 north of the West Seattle Bridge, we’re hearing some stories about bigger crowds on buses and the West Seattle Water Taxi, so we asked King County Department of Transportation what they’re seeing. With the caveat: “Right now, most of our information is based on field observations. We won’t have actual ridership data until later, and then it will be more of a sampling,” KCDOT’s Linda Thielke nonetheless offers this information:
* We are already seeing ups-and-downs with traffic, ridership and travel times based on time of day, location, route…so, we’ll need to give it a few weeks to measure impact of the lane reductions;
* We have some extra buses on standby in case the buses get so packed that they have to pass up passengers. The extra buses were not used on Monday, but we did have to use two Tuesday morning on one trip each of the routes 120 and 125;
* We know there are many bus trips with standing loads, and are assigning someone to start monitoring those both in the morning and afternoon commute;
* So far, with two AM and one PM commute completed, the worst choke point is the Columbia ramp and approach during the afternoon commute, particularly after 5 p.m. SPD is assisting Metro by placing a traffic officer at 2nd & Columbia to help WB buses get on the ramp. Cars going from SB Second to WB Columbia are not stopping on the red light, and just continuing to stream through the intersection. That blocks the traffic coming downhill on Columbia, which backs up buses turning right from Third to Columbia (most of the West Seattle service does this). So, we really want to stay on top of that problem.
* We are also asking SPD & WSP to monitor to the bus-only lanes on the West Seattle Bridge and NB SR 99 for cheaters, so that the buses can keep moving.
As for the Water Taxi, Thielke says it’s also too early for numbers there but the crew has noticed a “significant” bump – estimating 25 to 40 percent above previous levels, at least through this morning.
That’s “Technicolor Love” by Rachel Townsend, one of three local student filmmakers whose work is being showcased in relation to the Seattle International Film Festival. The festival officially opens Thursday, but there is a special event at SIFF Cinema downtown tonight, as part of Adobe Youth Voices. The free screening at 6 pm will include another of the showcased films, Brooke Sarver‘s “Love Stems” – like Rachel’s film, a stop-animation short about love lost and found:
Rachel and Brooke are both Chief Sealth International High School students. And the collection of youth works that SIFF is showcasing as part of the project also includes a short directed by students from West Seattle Elementary, “Our Hijabs”:
The public is welcome at the free event tonight, 6 pm, SIFF Cinema at 321 Mercer downtown. You can see some of the youth shorts paired with official SIFF showings at venues including West Seattle’s Admiral Theater – the festival formally opens Thursday and you can see the schedule here.
Potentially of interest, since there’s at least one tobacco shop open in West Seattle and one on the way – a bill allowing such establishments to apply for cigar-lounge licenses is halfway through the State Legislature. Sen. Sharon Nelson (D-34th District), who represents an area including West Seattle/White Center, is upset about SB 5542, according to a news release we received – read on:Read More
Thanks to Pete for sharing the e-mail sent today by Moxie Papergoods and Gifts, which will close its West Seattle store (3916 California SW) this weekend:
It’s always sad to say adieu, but this chapter in our lives has come to an end. After five great years, we will be closing our doors at our West Seattle store on May 21st.
We’d like to give you some time to soak it in and offer you some pretty special store discounts (to make the impact a little softer). You’ve been some of the best customers a store can even ask for and for three days, Thursday, May 19th – Saturday, May 21st we’re giving you *30% off EVERYTHING in the West Seattle store.
Don’t be sad for us, because a new chapter is just around the corner! You can still come visit us in our Bellevue Square store. We also will be focusing on a brand new and UPDATED website due to come out in late June. We’re super excited for this new launch and hope you will be too…
Thank you for loving and believing in us and making the past five years in West Seattle such a wonderful experience!
Yours Truly,
Jodie and Kimberly
(Photo courtesy Scott Boyd/OceanGate, used with permission)
A low-tide day like today makes you wonder what lies deep beneath Puget Sound. Perfect time for news of a recent discovery: A local team of underwater explorers thinks it’s found the wreckage of the SS Dix off Alki Point. They’ve written extensively about it here; hat tip to the Log House Museum for sharing the link, which we also had received but hadn’t yet followed up on. Historians say the sinking of the Dix more than a century ago – after it collided with another steamship – is the worst maritime disaster in local history, killing 39 people; HistoryLink.org tells the story here. You can see more of the current exploration’s photos here.
(From left, Cara Mohammadian, Jessica Lynn, Peter Wolf, Tonya Hennen, Tara Wickham)
Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, The CoHo Team of Windermere Agents. Here’s what they would like you to know: As Realtors®, the CoHo Team members are part of the Windermere Real Estate office in The Junction, where they are full-service Brokers serving West Seattle and the greater Seattle metro area. Whether you’re buying or selling your first home or you’ve bought and sold many times before, the CoHo Team’s goal is to earn your trust for life as they provide the support and expertise you need to help you achieve your short- and long-term real estate goals.
Although their name has Northwest connotations, “CoHo” actually comes from the words “Community” and “Housing.” The CoHo Team believes that home – a place of shelter, a vibrant neighborhood and community, a sense of safety and belonging – should be attainable by all. To that end, they support non-profits committed to affordable housing and community development. Local organizations that they have recently supported through donating money and volunteering their time include WestSide Baby, the West Seattle Food Bank, and Rebuilding Together Seattle.
The CoHo Team of Windermere Agents is thrilled to celebrate more than 10 years of giving with a new website and new members! To find out more and engage their services as real estate brokers, visit them online at www.cohorealty.com or drop by the Alaska Junction Windermere office (4526 California SW) to say hi!
We thank the CoHo Team of Windermere Agents for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
Two events on Saturday that you might want an early heads-up on:
WESTWOOD VILLAGE STREET FAIR: We’ve mentioned it once before, but just in case you missed it – street-festival season begins Saturday, with the annual celebration at Westwood Village. Same place as usual, the lot between Bed Bath Beyond and Pier 1, 11 am-7 am. Other WV fair staples that are expected include bouncy toys for kids, fashion show, dog show.
Also Saturday, an even longer-running West Seattle tradition, part of Hi-Yu:
FISHING POND: Get up early if you want to take the kid/s to check out the West Seattle Sportsmen’s Club Kids’ Fishing Pond at Seacrest (1660 Harbor SW) on Saturday morning, 8 am-11 am. It’s for kids 14 and younger. Questions? E-mail greg@wssportsmen.org.
First time we’ve heard of one household suffering a double auto-theft hit in a single day/night. Michael says, “You can imagine the shell-shock we’re feeling,” as he reports:
Sometime after 9:30 PM on Monday night, 2 of our trucks were stolen from our street parking. A 1993 Red Nissan King Cab and a 1991 White Ford F-250. We’re on 48th Ave SW between Andover and Dakota.
The ONLY reason we know about this so early was that at 3:48 AM (today), we were woken up by SPD knocking to inquire if we owned the F-250. It’d been involved in a collision in Auburn, and connected with a burglary in that area.
When we started to give them the info on the F-250, my wife looked out and saw that the Nissan was missing also.
We just checked, and so far, no other auto-theft incidents are listed in West Seattle in the past 24 hours of reports noted on the time-delayed police-response map. One other note: As mentioned in the daily preview, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets tonight at the Southwest Precinct, 7 pm – it’s a chance to talk to police leadership about neighborhood crime concerns and to hear firsthand about the latest trends.
(Scroll down for updates – and send us yours!)
(Refresh for latest pic from WS Bridge & 1st Av. S. cams, more on the WSB Traffic page)
As promised, just in case Day 1 was an aberration, we’re also watching Day 2 of the morning commute with a lane-reduced, speed-reduced stretch of Highway 99 north of the West Seattle Bridge. Fog has been a factor in the early going. We’ll update here if any major problems (or interesting observations) ensue.
8:02 AM: In addition to comments here, we have this report from Natalie via the WSB FB page: “Much slower than yesterday at this same time. I caught a 7:35 bus yesterday and still got to work at 8. Still trying to get on the bridge on same bus today.”
Meantime, recycled from yesterday, here’s our map of potential commute alternatives beyond the standard “drive a regular route to the bridge” – click one to see details:
(Low-tide sights photographed by Lisa Stencel)
Very-low tides are part of what’s in our preview from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
LOW/HIGH TIDES OF NOTE: Just before 11:30 this morning, there’s a major minus tide, -3 feet, with a fairly high tide of 12 feet following at 6:46 pm (here’s the chart)
BABY STORY TIME: Today at the Southwest Branch of the Seattle Public Library, 11:30-noon.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: Get the latest local crime-trend info, plus a special presentation by a drug expert, tonight at the monthly meeting of the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster), 7 pm.
LAFAYETTE PLAYGROUND UPDATE: The Lafayette Elementary Playground Committee is holding its final community meeting tonight, 7-8 pm, school library, with an update on the building schedule and summer volunteer opportunities (work parties are planned for June 25-28 to prep the area and August 27-28 to build the big toy). Service groups and high-schoolers seeking service credit are welcome too! Questions?
lafayette.playground@gmail.com.
REMODELING WORKSHOP: Free 1 1/2-hour workshop at Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor)’s West Seattle offices at 5458 California Ave SW, 6 pm (as previewed here); call 206-932-3009 to RSVP.
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